UN Secretary-General: Hamas, Israel on brink of another devastating conflict in Gaza

SANAA, July 21 (YPA) – UN Secretary General, António Guterres,  expressed his deep concern at the serious escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel, saying “I deeply regret the loss of lives.”

“It is essential that all parties urgently retreat from the brink of another devastating conflict,” the Secretary-General said in a statement issued on Saturday morning.

He said, “Hamas and other Palestinian fighters must stop firing rockets, burning kite bombs and provocations along the fence,”addiding, “Israel must exercise restraint to avoid further fueling the situation.”

Mr. Guterres also encouraged everyone to participate with the United Nations, in particular with its Special Coordinator, Nikolai Mladenov, and to work towards finding a way to get out of this dangerous situation.

“Any further escalation will endanger the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis, deepen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and undermine current efforts to improve livelihoods and support the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza,” he said.

According to reports, Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli soldier on Friday, and the Israeli army launched dozens of raids that killed three Hamas fighters as well as a fourth Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire during a demonstration near the border.

Sameera Hassn